Other Sports

It’s my day so that means it’s Friday. It was a fun sports week guys, so let’s go!

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First of all HUGE shoutout to #CavsTwitter who put up with me last night at the draft party. I’m more a part of #BrownsTwitter but it was fun to hang with all the folks I knew going in and meet some new ones. There were too many people there to name, but I’ll let @WFNYBen do the honors for a few of the notables that fit in the initial 140 characters…

So the Cavs drafted Andrew Wiggins and while I admittedly don’t know a lot, I’m happy today. It’s the first time in a while where we weren’t shocked by the Cavaliers’ selection. The Cavaliers have been surprising me with picks basically since after Kyrie Irving was selected. The smell wafting off the Cavaliers has been one of eccentricity or arrogance that they just knew better than everyone else. That’s pretty difficult to pull off way up at the top of the draft where the Cavs have been drafting for so long.

With that in mind, it’s very satisfying to think that the Cavaliers didn’t overthink the number one pick in the draft. It should be pretty easy to figure out who you want first, foremost and before anyone else’s plans are capable of getting in your way. I know you can still get it wrong and it’s easy to get paralyzed at times with big decisions, but that’s why you have big organizations of well-paid professionals. The Cavaliers came off like those kinds of professionals as opposed to trying too hard. After the most recent drafts, at least from an outsider, fan perspective to me that’s a good thing.

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I’m still glowing from the USMNT advancing to the knock-out stage of the World Cup. The USMNT did that in 2010 too when they were knocked out by Ghana 2-1 in the opening match of that stage. That was a big let-down in 2010 for me, but this year it seemed like such a bonus to escape the “Group of Death.” Now that the United States has drawn Belgium, my hope is that this team will actually start to play a little bit looser than they have so far. My goodness have they looked tight.

That’s part of playing in a tournament that isn’t single elimination though, I think. The team is interested in winning, of course, but it’s also a style of play that requires more situational awareness and game management. If you’re going to lose your opening game, for example, you need to pay attention to goal differential. A tie is not only possible, but not necessarily a bad outcome depending on the team you’re playing and who you’ve got upcoming in the rest of the group.

On Tuesday in the knock-out round that’s all over. Win or go home. Play smart, but don’t leave anything on the field because you might have to leave it there for the next four years until you get a chance to play again. As I said, the USMNT has seemed tentative and tight, so I’m hoping that making it out of the group is a relief and they really let their best play out. I truly think they can play better than what they’ve shown in any of the first three games of this World Cup. I hope we see the best of what they can be before they’re sent home.

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This is cool A guy charted out all the goals scored in the World Cup so far. I believe Jermaine Jones’ nice shot against Portugal was the seventh longest goal of the Cup so far.

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I didn’t have a great current music recommendation, so I thought I’d spotlight an amazing song that nobody knows about. Jeremy Enigk is one of my favorite songwriters. He was the singer from Sunny Day Real Estate and has carved out a nice solo career too. He did some songs for a relatively small film from 2003 called The United States of Leland. It starred Ryan Gosling and Kevin Spacey and Don Cheadle, but it was really a film that was independent in spirit. Anyway, Enigk wrote some songs that were in the film and were unavailable for purchase anywhere. I scored a promo copy of the film soundtrack including “Ballroom” somehow on eBay back in those days. Now, thanks to the magic of the Internet and YouTube that song is freely available for anyone to listen to. It’s really really beautiful and intense.

Sorry to end on a downer, but I just love that song so much and wanted to listen to it as I was writing my WWW. So that’s what you get. And as my son so eloquently repeats from his daycare school teachers to his daddy, “You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit.”

I don’t know how far the US can go with Michael Bradley playing like this. I don’t know what’s going on with him and/or what’s wrong with him, but man, this is brutal watching the team struggle to maintain possession while arguably their best player is halfheartedly jogging around while misplaying 9 out of every 10 balls that come to him. I keep waiting for him to wake up and snap back into the dynamic spark from the central midfield that he normally is. Hopefully he can find himself before the Belgium matchup.

http://www.centsports.com/?opcode=487541 c3j1v62

I wouldn’t say that is hustle is not there, rather is first touch is very heavy. He is also trying to make homerun passes and completely missing them.

I really wish I could’ve made the CavsTwitter get together, but I volunteered to give my wife the night off from parenting.

Willis

It is completely strange seeing how he has played. I keep thinking “man, what if he comes around to the MB90 that we know?” I think it would add a much-needed dimension. There has been potential on the flanks with FB and DMB (who looks like the ’02 vintage) making runs. If he could control the pace and get outlets to them to whip-in crosses…man that would look good.

c3j1v6s mentioned he is sick, which could be the case. There could be something going on in his personal life that is affecting him.

In any event, the USMNT is through to the round of 16. It would be nice if there could be a public viewing (with alcohol here in C-Town on Tuesday

Seeing Jeremy Enigk’s name in the headline was the main reason I clicked. Love him.

Victorious Secret

The US won’t get past Belgium unless Bradley gets his form back. His careless play and lack of control in the midfield has resulted in minimal scoring chances and excessive, non-stop defensive play wearing out our backs. Bradley has done more harm than good over 3 consecutive games and if it continues against Belgium he should be benched at halftime. I have noticed that Bradley certainly has great form when he jogs (does it 95% of the game), so if nothing else, he has a career in running Marathons after the World Cup when he’s cut.